


Say My Name

by everybodygotawaterbuffalo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Bechdel Test Pass, Don't copy to another site, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Rated T for minor swearing, Wait there's a tag for that, as usual, everyone is done with mark and yukhei's bs, fun fact this passes the bechdel test, it's a good time, jaemin is chaotic, mark lee is a panicked gay, minor miscommunication, some of them have kids, wong yukhei is sometimes a panicked gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-01-31 19:30:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18597922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everybodygotawaterbuffalo/pseuds/everybodygotawaterbuffalo
Summary: … if you can figure out which oneAlternatively,5 Times Mark Didn’t Recognize Yukhei and 1 Time He DoesIn which Yukhei has three jobs (and three identities) and Mark’s a cop who knows about one of them. For now.





	1. Time 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Thursday!! He llegado con un fic nuevo! I hope you all enjoy this. Some of it was a struggle to write, but I'm really proud of how much dialogue it ended up having since Lilly always gets on my case about that :) Also fun fact the prompt that this was based off of didn't even end up in the final story, but that's just how it is sometimes

Yukhei is what you might call multitalented. He’s got a penchant for languages, a love of art, and a great musical sense. As such, he’s found creative outlets for all his abilities. For his languages, he has his main job working for the HR and marketing departments of a big tech company. It’s a bit nebulous, but that’s how he likes it. He does a variety of things, from translations to general international work, and his boss Jungwoo is pretty fantastic. He may not fit the technical definition of a true businessman, but he’ll be damned if he isn’t having fun. Besides, one of the most fun things about speaking so many languages is being able to gossip about and shit-talk people completely without their knowledge and while sounding like he’s having a professional discussion. 

On the side, he does both music and art. His music, mostly rap, is released under the name Lucas. Like quite a few “underground” rappers, he hasn’t ever shown his face as Lucas. Part of this is for the mystique and the aesthetic of it, but the more practical reason is that he’s gotten very popular lately and since he travels so much with his office job, it’s just a safety hazard to have people know he’s Lucas. Anyone who meets him in a button-down and slacks or a suit won’t ever guess he spends his weekends in skinny jeans and decorative t-shirts, rapping in front of hundreds of dancing people with a mask covering his face. His true identity is a topic of great conspiracy, especially since although he’s now known worldwide, he usually performs locally so people correctly assume he’s from in or near the city. 

The other side of his art, which he technically only does as a hobby since he doesn’t get paid for it, is graffiti. This he does under the pen name -- he likes to call it a paint name -- Xuxi. Apparently it’s really good graffiti, according to a lot of blogs. He has been doing it for several years, so he’s improved quite a bit. Yukhei has spent some time looking through blogs analyzing his style and how it’s developed over the years. It’s really flattering, honestly. The blogs are often sent to him by the only other artist he’s ever worked with: a small man who also arrived with a mask over his face and who signs his art with just a stylized X. Most people in the art community refer to him as “Ten,” and Yukhei does the same. 

Right now, though, he’s just Yukhei, the best friend of Kun and Sicheng and basically an uncle to their daughter. Kun says he’s a bad influence, but Sicheng argues that just because he’s loud doesn’t necessarily mean he’s bad for children. Thankfully, Sicheng won that argument, so Yukhei gets to spend a lot of time with Jiwoo. She’s a bundle of energy all wrapped up in a too-small body and Yukhei would give her the moon if she asked for it. 

 

Mark is what you might call tired. It’s Career Day at his niece’s elementary school, and Jeno and Jaemin begged him to go talk to her class. Honestly, given that they both work for the government, it’s understandable they don’t want to go. Neither of them could talk about what they do anyway. Mark only has a vague idea that it has something to do with the black market, and he really doesn’t want to know more if it’ll get him in trouble. He knows perfectly well his need-to-know doesn’t go up to that level of classified, and he honestly hopes it never does. 

Since neither of her dads can come, Mark finds himself dragged by Sooyoung, a very excited seven-year-old sweetheart, into an elementary school on a day he could be sleeping in before a late shift at the station. It’s worth it though, to see her face light up when she sees Jiwoo across the classroom. Letting go of Mark’s hand, she darts between the legs of adults and bodies of children to get to her friend. Mark follows her, more carefully. When he catches up, the two girls are engaged in a very enthusiastic and only slightly understandable conversation about … unicorn zombie aliens? Mark decides not to question it. He does, however, question any heterosexuality that might be left in his body when he sees the man who he can only assume came in with Jiwoo. 

“Hello,” says the man. “I’m Yukhei, Jiwoo’s … uncle, I guess. I’m good friends with Kun and Sicheng, her dads.” Mark grins. 

“I can relate. I’m not blood-related to Sooyoung, but I’ve got a much more applicable job than either Jaemin or Jeno so I agreed to come.” Before they can continue their conversation, Sooyoung’s tugging at Mark’s hand again to get his attention. 

“Mark-hyung, pretty please can we sit by Jiwoo and Yukhei-ssi during the presentations? I pinky promise I’ll behave!” True to form, she does stick her pinky out. Smiling, Mark shakes it with his own. Honestly, Mark has no idea why she bothers promising to behave around him anymore since everyone knows he doesn’t have the heart to really discipline her. There’s a reason Jeno and Jaemin never leave her around him for more than a day at a time. He’d spoil her rotten. 

“As long as Yukhei-ssi and Jiwoo don’t mind, I see no reason not to.” Mark and Sooyoung both turn to look at Yukhei, Sooyoung pleading with her eyes. Given her parents, it’s no surprise to anyone that she’s got the most powerful puppy-dog eyes around. 

“Oh, of course!” Yukhei seems like the type of person who’s just naturally loud, but Mark finds he doesn’t mind. His presence, while impressive, is also somehow comforting. 

They all continue chatting for a while, the girls diving back into their earlier discussion -- or maybe they’re onto a different topic now, Mark can’t really tell -- and the two men talking about everything from the weather to politics. They both have enough sense not to bring up jobs at the moment, knowing that’s all anyone will talk about for the rest of the day. 

Mark can’t help his curiosity though, especially given Yukhei’s in a simple white button-down with what appears to be little navy blue whales all over it along with navy slacks. That gives him basically no information on a potential job.  _ Well _ , he thinks,  _ I’ll find out soon enough. _

 

The procession of adults giving short presentations and answering questions about their jobs is, while uninspiring, at least not mind-numbing yet. They’ve somehow managed to not repeat any jobs yet, and Yukhei wonders how long that’ll go on. The most memorable ones were an electrical engineer who brought little switches for each of the kids to take home and a baker who, of course, brought enough cupcakes for everyone in the room. 

Yukhei’s worried all the kids will think his job is boring, but during the applause for a construction worker Jiwoo assures him a lot of them are bilingual or have aspirations of learning another language, so they’ll be super inspired by him. 

“You speak  _ five languages _ , and that’s only counting the ones you’re fluent in. They’re going to love you!” Yukhei’s a little freaked out by how perceptive she is, but it runs in the family. “Besides, if even I found you interesting before I found out you had --” she lowers her voice dramatically, “ _ two secret jobs _ , they’ll definitely like you!” 

Now Yukhei’s really panicking, He didn’t think she knew about either, let alone both. Thankfully, Jiwoo slips her pinky against his to link them and quietly promises not to tell anyone. 

Soon enough, it’s Mark’s turn. Yukhei had somehow managed to not register that he was in a police uniform until he gets up to the front. He gives a good sensible talk about what he does and why it’s important, then basically just lets the kids climb all over him. He agreeably lifts them and does pushups with them on his back. It may or may not be an excuse to show off, Yukhei honestly can’t tell. He can say with assurance that it’s impressive. For as skinny as he looks, Mark’s really strong. 

When it’s Yukhei’s turn, he takes a slightly different approach. He just gives a really vague explanation of his translating job then opens the floor to questions. To be fair, because that job is so nebulous, it’s a bit hard to explain in a 5-minute segment, so it’s easier to let the kids guide the discussion. Some of the questions are incredibly off-topic, but they’re all very entertaining. 

“Are you a secret agent? My mom said secret agents speak a lot of languages and that’s why I have to study my Spanish flashcards,” is one of his favorites, even if he really doesn’t know how to respond to it. 

“What kind of car do you drive?” was another good one. Off-topic, but he really doesn't mind. As long as the kids are having fun, he can’t complain. 

“Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?” He had to think about that one for a bit, but decided on Barack Obama and the reactions were mixed and very funny. 

Next, there’s a sort of open time where, after the teachers and adults quickly clear the chairs off to the sides, the adults spread around the room. This time is for kids to go wherever they want and ask more specific questions, or just talk to the adults. Yukhei remembers Kun and Sicheng telling him about how they picked this school because they realize the importance of kids, even this young, getting used to talking to people older than them, especially those they aren’t specifically related to. If he didn’t know Jiwoo so well, Yukhei might be surprised by how mature many of the kids are, but he does and so he’s not. 

 

Mark ends up next to Yukhei, a fact which he is simultaneously very grateful for and very distressed about. On one hand, he doesn’t have to worry about introducing himself to another adult, as well as the fact that somewhere in their conversation they decided to drop honorifics so he feels a lot more comfortable. On the other hand, though, Yukhei is really gorgeous and 110% Mark’s type. He can practically hear Jaemin making fun of him already. 

They spend the next hour or so alternating between talking to kids about their respective jobs and chatting with each other when there’s a dry spell. This may or may not be spurred on by the two girls who seem to already be conspiring to get them to spend more time together -- when they’re not making literal business deals with the other kids, that is. 

Mark feels surprisingly chill about the whole thing. Usually visits like this stress him out, which is why he lets Renjun take the lead whenever they do school visits, even though Mark ranks higher than Renjun does. It’s just stressful to always say the right thing and appeasing parents is especially difficult. Mark does not envy anyone who’s a police officer in a school. He’ll take patrols and paperwork over problematic children any and every day. With Yukhei, though, it’s easier. Mark thinks this might be because neither of them are actually parents. 

“So what is your favorite part of your job? You kind of dodged that question when the kid asked.” Yukhei’s smile is bright and infectious, and Mark can’t help grinning back. 

“Well, to be perfectly honest it’s probably any time I get to help an animal, but I have to be a good role model and say something about helping the people.” 

“I can relate. My favorite part about my job is my boss’s cat.” They’re both laughing now, and Mark should probably tell his brain to stop being surprised by how easy this is. 

Time seems to fly and soon enough, the teacher is telling the kids to finish up their last question before all the kids head back to the carpet in the middle. As the teacher explains their homework assignment to write about what they want to be when they grow up, Yukhei turns to Mark again. 

“Maybe … if you’d like, we could get together again? I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.” Mark’s about 97.3% sure he’s about to combust. 

“Like a … a date?” he asks, mentally kicking himself at how shaky his voice is. It’s not  _ his _ fault Yukhei’s so hot. 

“If you’d like it to be, sure!” Yukhei shrugs. Mark smiles. 

“I’d like that, yeah.” 

They trade numbers, Yukhei promising to text as soon as he gets home. His grin lights up his whole face. 

_ Maybe I’m not the only eager one _ , Mark thinks. Unfortunately, they’re quickly interrupted by their girls, who are loudly announcing that they can go home now. Mark’s a little surprised neither complains at being separated, but he’s glad because he wants to go home so he can panic to Jaemin and Jeno already. 


	2. Time 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Thursday hath arrived and another chapter is up! Honestly, this was probably the hardest chapter to write, mostly because I don't know what normal people do on dates. I hope you all enjoy and I'll see you again in a week!!
> 
> also muchas gracias to my sister Lilly, @baridalive, for letting me know when my dialogue sounds like two cardboard cutouts having a conversation. Love ya!!

Objectively, Mark knows it shouldn’t take him this long to get ready. It’s just an outfit for heaven’s sake. Still, he hasn’t been on a date in quite a while, and certainly not a first date he’s already so invested in. He’d never admit it, but after looking at his closet for five minutes he ended up googling  _ what to wear on a first date _ . Yeah, not his proudest moment, but his friends never have to know. 

The first proposal of starting from what he’d wear on a day-to-day basis failed, mostly because he’s only ever in his uniform or sweatpants and neither of those are great options. The only time he isn’t in one of those is for fancy events, and he doesn’t think a walk through an arboretum merits a full suit. After looking through five blogs and watching two YouTube videos, he gives up for a while again. 

Now he’s been procrastinating getting dressed since he woke up at seven and would continue to do so, but it’s almost one and he’s meeting Yukhei at one-thirty. 

It takes seventeen combinations and six Red Velvet songs until he finally settles on something he likes. He also sends a picture to Jaemin just to be sure, and he thankfully responds approvingly. It’s a simple green button-down paired with a pair of dark jeans, both of which are fancy enough for him to really feel like it’s a special occasion but not so fancy that he’ll feel awkward or uncomfortable walking around. 

“Okay Mark, you can do this. It’s just a date, and even though you haven’t gone on one since, like, college, it’ll be fine.” He registers that he’s talking to himself, but decides he doesn’t care. “He’s just a guy and you’re a guy and even though you’re a panicked gay it’ll be fine and hey, even if it’s not, you never have to see him again. The worst that’ll happen is Renjun makes fun of you for a week.” He sighs. “I’m a useless gay.” 

Thankfully, it’s a long enough drive that he has time to call Jeno for a pep talk. He and Jaemin got back from whatever top-secret mission they were on last night, and the phone rings only twice before Jeno picks up. 

“Hey, Mark! What’s up?” Even just hearing his voice is enough to ease Mark’s nerves. Jeno’s easily the most easy-going of their friend group, and undoubtedly the best at reassurance. 

“Y’know how I’ve got that date today? I’m … kinda worried.” Mark is glad he’s in his car and no one can see him because he knows he’s making faces. 

“Yeah, with the multilingual guy! Yukhei, right?”

“Yup.” 

“He sounded really cool! What is it specifically that you’re worried about?” 

Bit by bit they work through all of Mark’s worries and insecurities for the date and Jeno calmly dissolves his fears about every one. They laugh practically the whole ride there. 

“You know, you could be a fantastic therapist if you ever get tired of whatever spy shit you and Jaemin are up to.” Jeno laughs. 

“Go get ‘em, tiger!” 

 

As he pulls into the arboretum parking lot, Yukhei knows they picked well. It’s mid-spring, a great time to go for a walk outdoors. When they’d talked, this was the first idea they both really liked, partially since everything else seemed really cliché. Parking his car, Yukhei steps out then leans against it, looking at the trees surrounding the parking lot as he shoots Mark a text that he’s arrived. 

Mark emerges from under the magnolia trees and Yukhei’s breath catches in his throat. Who gave him the right to look that good? 

“Hey stranger,” Mark calls, and Yukhei grins at him. 

“Long time no see.” 

They head through the main building and out into the flower gardens. Honestly, for as awkward as they can both be, conversation flows a lot more smoothly than either of them expected. They easily move between topics like politics, movies, friends and family, animals, and so many others. Yukhei spends an embarrassingly long time just watching Mark, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Soon enough, music comes up. 

“So … what genres do you like?” Yukhei throws out, because honestly if Mark doesn’t like rap he’s not sure he can date him. 

“I like everything, but especially classical and rap. It’s a kinda weird combination, I know, but it works for me.” 

“I can’t really say I know much about classical beyond what I remember from band in middle school, but I love rap! Who’s your favorite artist?” Okay, he’s not intentionally fishing for compliments but if Mark knows who Lucas is that’d be a bit of an ego boost. 

“Oh, man, that’s a hard one. If I had to pick just one, though, it’d probably be Lucas. Have you heard of him?” 

“Of course I’ve heard of him! I’ve actually seen him live a couple times.”

“Wow, you’ve seen him live? I’ve been trying to for ages but apparently just haven’t hit the right night.” Yukhei is, admittedly, very happy with this turn of events, and he and Mark continue to talk about music for quite a while. Yukhei tells Mark some of his other favorites and tries very hard not to react when Mark compliments Lucas. Honestly, he should be better at this, but he doesn’t talk to his coworkers or friends about music often enough for him to get practice. 

Yukhei learns that Mark plays guitar and piano, and that he wanted to be a producer for a while before learning the reality of the competitiveness of that industry. 

“It took a while to settle in, but I do enjoy being a police officer. It’s a lot less stressful than some people think, but that may be because this part of the city doesn’t have much crime. I’ve been thinking about getting back into music but just haven’t had the time or opportunity.” 

“Dude, that’s totally valid. I’ve got a couple friends in the music industry and they love it, but they’re always stressed.” Mark tugs Yukhei aside, making him realize they’ve reached the end of the flower gardens. 

“Do you want to go for a walk through the forest?” he asks. Yukhei grins and nods. 

“Sounds like a great idea!” 

Mark doesn’t get chances to show off some of his hidden talents, so when he gets an opportunity he loves to take it. One of these hidden talents, thanks to Donghyuck who’s a florist, is that he’s very familiar with flower language. Luckily, Yukhei seems very impressed by this skill. Mark wouldn’t expect flower language to be impressive to a translator, someone who he remembers Sooyoung mentioning speaks 5 languages, but to each their own. 

Mark finds himself talking about his own life quite a bit. It’s not that he’s self-centered, it’s that Yukhei leads the conversation that direction a lot. It’s kind of an interesting change, since pretty much everyone he interacts with on a daily basis already knows his entire life story. Yeah, he doesn’t get out much. 

“I wanted to be a rapper but, y’know, job security is an important thing, so I ended up a police officer.” He hurries to continue. “I do enjoy it, though. Renjun’s a great partner and my bosses, Taeyong and Taeil, are really understanding and super chill about basically everything. It’s not a super exciting job, since there really isn’t much crime around here.” 

“Do you still rap?” Yukhei asks, sounding hopeful. 

“Not really. I used to write my own stuff but now I just sing along to the radio. That whole thing just never really panned out for me.” 

“Well, it’s never too late to get into the arts. They’re an important part of our city, you know.” 

“Dude, I’m a police officer. I know the importance of --” Mark cuts himself off, seeing that Yukhei’s grinning at him. “Shut up.” Yukhei laughs. Mark’s only thought is  _ I’m so gay.  _

“Besides,” says Yukhei, “my boss has some connections in the music industry. If you ever want to get going on that again, just let me know and I’ll see what he can do.” 

“Really? You’d do that?” Mark’s afraid to get his hopes up too high. He’s wanted to get back into music basically forever, but he just hasn’t had any idea how to. 

“Of course! If nothing else, it’ll get him talking about something other than his boyfriends for once.” 

Continuing to talk, they walk around the arboretum for another hour or so before deciding to head home. Neither really wants to leave, but Mark knows he has chores waiting at home, and his feet are starting to hurt. 

Mark spends about five minutes just sitting in his car before he leaves, trying to commit the entire day to memory. This was probably the best date he’s ever been on. Yukhei’s really easy to talk to, and physical affection between them comes easy and often. They spent most of the day touching, whether it was bumping shoulders or holding hands. 

The rest of the day passes in a daze, with Mark mindlessly doing his chores and running through his routines. He gets everything set for the upcoming week, but his mind is miles away. He calls Jeno again before bed, but they quickly switch to a video chat so Jaemin and Sooyoung can join as well. He, as expected, tells them all about the date and in turn they tell him about their day. That night, Mark sleeps better than he has in months. 

 

Yukhei lets himself bask in the glow of the date for a couple hours before reality catches up. He’s going to have to put so much more effort into hiding from now on. Oh man, why did Mark have to be a policeman of all things? Why couldn’t he fall for, like, an accountant or something? Sicheng’s words from a week ago ring in his ears. 

“You have a type, Yukhei.” He’s beginning to think that yeah, maybe he does. And that type is  _ the people most likely to figure out his secrets by complete accident _ . Oh, well. At least Mark’s cute. 

When Yukhei meets with Doyoung, his manager, and Chenle, the CEO of the label he’s under, a couple weeks later, Doyoung points out that he’s been more paranoid than usual lately. 

“You’ve been wearing a cap and mask here recently. You’ve never done that consistently before. What’s up?” As always, he gets straight to the point. “Now that I think about it, you’ve been tighter about disguises at venues as well. Are you worried about something?” 

Of course, this means Yukhei has to explain that he managed to get a police officer boyfriend who has no idea what two thirds of his life entails. To be fair, though, even Doyoung and Chenle don’t know about a third of it. 

“Wow, and I thought  _ I  _ had a complicated love life,” whistles Chenle, grinning. 

“You do have a complicated love life. One that I don’t need to know the messy details of.” Yukhei knows Chenle has two boyfriends, but that they’re not dating each other, and one of them is kind of his sugar baby. Honestly, his love life has nothing on Chenle’s. 

“Anyway …” Doyoung leads, waiting for Yukhei to continue. 

“Yeah, so I really need to avoid getting my face all over until I have a: the chance, b: the incentive, and c: the balls to explain this all to Mark.” 

“Fair,” Doyoung comments, then leads the discussion towards his upcoming album release. They discuss cover art, a couple promotion opportunities, as well as the downsides of each of those promotion opportunities. Yukhei makes a couple decisions, but he leaves most of that to Doyoung and Chenle. They know this whole world way better than he does, anyway. As Doyoung and Chenle hammer out details that don’t really affect him directly, Yukhei considers how he could get Mark to a performance soon without giving anything away. Ever perceptive, Doyoung seems to be able to read his mind. 

“Whatever you’re planning, Lucas, just don’t be dumb about it.” 

“You have such little faith in me.” Yukhei shoots him a grin. Doyoung looks at him like he’s gone insane. 

“You’re not exactly known for your amazing decisions, man.” 

“You know, that’s fair,” Yukhei concedes. 

After the meeting ends and Yukhei heads back home, his first step is to check his calendar. He hasn’t been out for a performance recently, and luckily he’s got two open nights this week. He shoots a text off to TY, the owner of the venue he likes, and asks what nights he’s got open slots this week. Then, still smiling, he gets ready for bed. 


	3. Time 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and welcome to the hell that is AP testing week 1. Thank heavens I finished this whole thing before testing kicked off. Anyway, happy Thursday and I hope you all enjoy!

Yukhei has a couple rules for when he performs live. The most important one is wearing a mask and cap. Sometimes it’s a simple black mask and baseball hat, but usually when he’s feeling more dramatic it’s a full-face mask with temporary dye in his hair. Doyoung and Chenle have both warned him that his eyes are unique, and the heavier masks hide that better. Also, he just likes being dramatic. 

“Wow, you don’t usually stick around after you perform, Lucas.” The voice comes from behind Yukhei, warm and amused. 

“Haechan! I didn’t know you were in the lineup tonight,” Yukhei replies, grinning down at the singer. He’s also in a mask but without a cap, his bright eyes grinning up at Yukhei above the black fabric. 

“Yeah, well, you’re not the only one who’s allowed to show up unexpectedly.” 

“Hmm, I didn’t know you had that kind of power.” Haechan pulls a face. 

“Just because vocalists are less common here doesn’t mean I can’t do just as much as you rappers, you taffy-pulled cactus-dick.” Yukhei blinks at him. 

“I forgot how creative your insults are, Haechan. Bold words from a tiny gremlin.” 

“Hey!” Haechan yelps, indignant, as Yukhei ruffles his hair. 

“I’d love to stay and chat, but there’s someone waiting for me so I’ll be heading off. I’ll see you soon!” With that, Yukhei slips back into the crowd. Today is one of the few days he’s gone back into the club with only a shirt change, and he removes his mask and cap as he walks, tucking them into the jacket he put on after he performed. Usually he changes into a completely different outfit and leaves pretty much immediately after his set, but the floor’s crowded enough tonight that no one pays him any attention and he spotted a certain police officer in the back during his set who he wants to have a quick word with. 

All things considered, he’s pretty safe here. There are only a few people in the underground rap scene who know his face, but none know his real name and he’s never run into any of them outside the clubs. It’s one of the unexpected perks of having a job that mostly deals with foreigners. Also, there’s a general policy of “you don’t tell and I won’t tell” around seeing people off-hours because everyone in this scene understands the need for privacy and secrecy. 

Yukhei’s explanation to Doyoung for why he’s so paranoid about disguises was that he’s afraid of someone putting two and two together. 

“With how much caution you take, it’d be more like finding the intersection of a plane and a hyperbolic parabola without a calculator but go off, I guess,” was his response. Yukhei doesn’t know what that means and by the look Chenle gave him, he doesn’t know either. 

This time, though he threw caution to the wind a bit, mostly because he was afraid Mark would leave before he had a chance to talk to him. Today seems to be his lucky day, though, since he spots Mark hovering kind of awkwardly by the door. Grinning, he steels himself and heads over. 

 

When the DJ guy announces that Lucas is up next, the crowd around Mark erupts and he can feel his heart rate increase. He  _ finally _ managed to show up on a day Lucas is surprise performing and still fit into the venue and he’s about to cry with excitement. 

Suddenly, Lucas is there on stage, tall and lean in black skinny jeans and a graphic tee, voice low and dripping with honey. He’s talking but Mark can barely register the words because his brain’s still going nuts over the fact that he’s less than 50 feet away from a literal rap god. The music starts and Mark leans against the table behind him, just trying to absorb everything. 

Lucas performs four songs, three of his “usuals” and one completely new one. When he announces that he’s performing a completely new, never-been-heard-before song, Mark thinks he’s going to faint. He doesn’t, thankfully, but the thought’s still there. After his last song, he talks again. 

“Well, I’d like to thank you all for coming, but that’s all I have time for now. Please continue to support this establishment and others like it, since they provide such amazing opportunities for up-and-coming artists. Have a good night, everyone!” Lucas waves again, then disappears backstage. 

While waiting for the next act to get set up, Mark considers Lucas’s voice. It sounds natural when he’s rapping, but he noticed when he talks, it sounds like he’s pressing his voice lower than it normally sits. 

“Mark!” Hearing his name called, Mark twists around, searching for the source of the voice. Soon enough, he sees Yukhei making his way towards him, easily parting the seas of people. He’ll have to ponder Lucas later. 

“Hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Mark greets, matching Yukhei’s wide smile with one of his own. He isn’t actually terribly surprised to see Yukhei here, given what he’s told Mark before about seeing Lucas live a couple times. Mark figures he’s probably something of a regular around here. Yukhei shrugs, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jacket. 

“I had a free night and figured I’d swing by. You finally saw Lucas?” That alone is enough to set Mark off. He spends the next ten minutes or so talking Yukhei’s ear off about how cool Lucas’s performance was and how excited he was the whole time. Honestly, he thinks he talks for longer than the performance even lasted, but can you blame him? He just saw his favorite artist live for the first time. Yukhei’s got a light blush dusted across his cheeks for most of the (rather one-sided) conversation, but Mark blames it on him wearing a jacket in a crowd like this. 

“Well, it sure sounds like you had a good night. I take it you’ll be coming back?” 

“Oh, definitely! I’ve been here a couple times before, but wow I’ve never seen the energy like this!” 

“Mm, the crowd certainly is lively tonight.” 

Their conversation easily trails off as the next performer starts, silently agreeing to stay and listen, so maybe Mark isn’t the only one hoping this turns into more than a chance meeting. 

 

Honestly, one of the nicest perks of being a big name, even just in the underground rap scene, is that Yukhei never actually has to plan when he’ll show up to perform. They’ve always got some room for walk-ons and when Lucas shows up, Lucas performs. Of course, there are times he’ll arrive to find they’re full, but when anyone offers to give up their spot for him he refuses and instead takes the chance to hang out and watch everyone else perform. He’d love to be able to schedule himself better so he doesn’t feel like an inconvenience whenever he arrives, but his job is quite unpredictable at times and he’d rather show up unannounced than be announced and not be able to show. If he thinks of it a couple days beforehand, he likes to text TY like he did for tonight, so he’s not a surprise to  _ everyone _ , but sometimes it’s unavoidable. 

This does make trying to catch one of his live shows a bit inconvenient for fans, but that’s just something they all have to work around. Frankly, Yukhei hadn’t really thought about people specifically trying to come see him until Mark brought it up. 

“I’ve been trying to see him for  _ ages _ ,” he says, “but I’ve just never managed to catch a night he shows up. It’s fun either way, of course, and I love supporting places like this, but … y’know?” Yukhei shrugs. He doesn’t really, but Mark doesn’t need to know that. 

They continue chatting, but somehow the conversation keeps working its way back around to Lucas. Mark gushes about him, obviously very pumped he finally got to see him, and Yukhei’s pretty sure it’s the cutest thing ever. 

Unfortunately, he can’t express any gratitude or show Mark that he’s flattered by all the compliments, but he supposes they’ll get there eventually. At least, he hopes they do. 

“What neighborhood do you live in?” Mark asks, and Yukhei tells him. He makes an excited noise. “I live in the same one! Do you mind if I walk you home? Call me old-fashioned, but I want to make sure you get home okay.” 

“Of course!” Yukhei tries not to sound too excited at the prospect of spending more time with Mark, then realizes he doesn’t care. “I’d love to walk with you.” 

The two of them head out, both moving easily through the crowd until they reach the cool street air. Yukhei takes a deep breath. No matter what anyone else says about city smell, there’s always something refreshing and welcoming about the air. 

Meandering through the streets, they’re in absolutely no hurry to get home even though stars are already peeking through the black velvet sky. Their conversation twists and winds just as much as their path, touching on everything from how the kids are doing at school to interesting things they have coming up at work and their favorite constellations. 

Yukhei wonders if he’ll ever get used to how easy talking to Mark is. He’s by no means antisocial, but he’s always kind of struggled with conversation. Part of it, as a kid, was because he spoke so many languages and didn’t know how to distinguish them, so he ended up mixing them a lot. Nowadays, though, he’s got much better control, but conversation rarely flows this effortlessly. 

Anyway, he’s not about to complain. 

 

Mark has decided he loves walking with Yukhei. Despite the height difference, they fall into pace together and they just never run out of stuff to talk about. It takes about half an hour to walk back to Yukhei’s apartment, especially given the fact that they’re not taking the most direct route. When they reach his building, neither of them really know how to react. Mark sees Yukhei gearing up to say something, so he interjects quickly, afraid Yukhei’s about to ask him to come in. He’d love to honestly, but he shouldn’t. 

“Well, I should probably get going. I’ve got an early shift tomorrow, and …” he trails off. Yukhei’s really hot and Mark knows if he agrees to go in, he probably won’t leave tonight. That’s a bad idea. Not short-term, but definitely long-term. 

“Yeah, I’ve got work tomorrow too …” For as much as they say this, neither of them moves for a long moment. 

“Hug?” Yukhei asks finally, opening his arms. Mark dives in, wrapping his arms around his waist. As they let go, Mark leans up in a moment of blind confidence, kissing Yukhei’s cheek. 

Yukhei immediately flushes bright red and, based on the heat Mark feels rising in his cheeks, he’s turning into a tomato too. Well, at least they match. 

“Um … good night!” Mark’s impressed he managed to keep his voice level as he speaks. Before Yukhei has a chance to respond, he takes off, heading back down the path to the sidewalk. 

“Good night!” Yukhei calls after him, but Mark doesn’t look back until he hears the door close. Oh no, Jaemin’s going to make fun of him for this for  _ years _ . Honestly, Mark doesn’t stop panicking until he gets home ten minutes later and can sit down, take deep breaths, and rationalize everything. For heaven’s sake, he didn’t even kiss him on the lips! Oh man, even thinking about that has his heart racing again. Mark sighs. 

“I’m a useless gay.” Finally, Mark pulls himself up and starts wandering around the apartment, absently cleaning and getting things set for the next morning. 

He calls Jeno and Jaemin after he’s set out and readjusted everything he can. The two of them interrogate him, uninterrupted by Sooyoung this time, as she’s already in bed. Mark gets a second captive audience to gush to about Lucas, which is nice, though he finds himself blushing again as he tells them about the kiss. He was right, Jaemin does make fun of him, but Jeno keeps him from dwelling on it too long. Luckily, Mark changes the topic to their jobs soon enough. 

“So, when are you guys heading out next?” Jaemin and Jeno share a look, silently discussing how much they’re allowed to tell Mark. 

“We’ve got something coming up in the next month or so,” starts Jeno, “but we’ve got some work to do here before we head out.” 

“Well, just let me know if you need someone to keep an eye on Sooyoung for a couple days, okay?” They assure him they’ll let him know if they need anything. After saying their good nights, all three of them head to bed. 

If Renjun makes fun of Mark at work the next morning for how unmistakably  _ soft _ he is, well, he can’t really bring himself to mind all that much. 


	4. Time 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yeah I know this is a day late but I had an AP test then a choir concert yesterday so it kinda just slipped my mind but here it is!! Happy Friday (oops) and as always, I hope you all enjoy!!

Jeno, Jaemin, and Sooyoung are basically the perfect family. Mark’s got a late shift at the station today so they invited him over for brunch. Mostly, it consisted of Sooyoung and Jaemin good-naturedly mocking his crush and Jeno laughing at them from across the stove. All in all, he gets free pancakes, so it’s not a bad deal. Jeno’s good at cooking on top of everything else he can do. Mark figures more people would be bothered by constantly feeling inferior to him if he wasn’t the human version of a puppy and an absolute sweetheart. No one can get mad at Jeno. 

Unfortunately, Mark does have a real job to get to, so he has to head out sooner than he’d like. He meets up with Renjun just inside the station and they exchange the usual pleasantries. 

“Afternoon,” he announces, immediately getting Renjun’s attention. 

“Hey.” He turns back to face forward, but slows enough to let Mark catch up. 

“How’s the boyfriend?” 

“Oh, you know, stressed but absolutely adorable. How’s the empty apartment?” 

“Well-heated and fully stocked,” Mark finishes dryly, making Renjun snort. 

They proceed to their office, where they’re promptly greeted by the bosses, Taeyong and Taeil. They’re the heads of the department and although Mark knows both of them have been offered promotions several times, he’s glad they haven’t taken them. They both like where they’re at, and everyone at the station loves them. The two of them don’t always stop by to give daily stuff directly, but it’s common knowledge that they like to check up on everyone at least once a week. Apparently today they’re nosing into Mark and Renjun’s business. 

They go through another standard “hey how’s life” “good, and you?” “good” “neat” “cool” exchange followed by the ever-present love life questions, which Mark can at least give slightly more interesting responses to this time. Taeyong and Taeil then announce that they’re sending Mark and Renjun out on a pretty regular patrol, but in a different area, covering for Xiaojun and Yangyang who are both out with the flu. 

The first part of their patrol goes smoothly, with Mark in the driver’s seat and Renjun shotgun next to him, route map pulled up on his work phone. They’re in one of the calmer parts of the city, so they spend more time checking out the prolific graffiti and looking for a place to stop for an early dinner then they do actually paying attention to the patrol. It’s ok though, all things considered. What Taeyong and Taeil don’t know won’t hurt them. Besides, their city is known for its street art and who are they but a captive audience simply taking it in? 

“Hey, slow down,” Renjun says, leaning toward the window. 

“Why?” 

“I think I see something. Wait -- stop here. Look down that alley, will you? I’m not sure what I’m seeing.” 

“What is it?” Mark asks. 

“Is that…” Renjun starts, trailing off as they both peer down the alley. 

“Yeah, I think that’s Xuxi,” Mark says, not really thinking. “Wait a second, that’s Xuxi!” 

 

Yukhei’s had a productive morning. He woke up with a bubble of inspiration and sketched his idea before it could pop, but since his first meeting is at three today, he’s got plenty of time to go out and actually paint it. He wasn’t planning on leaving the house this morning, but the weather’s nice and he’s needs to stretch his legs so he might as well. After throwing on a big sweatshirt and cargo pants, he grabs his paint bag and a mask and cap, then heads to his car. 

It takes about a half hour of cruising before he finds a good alley: wide enough to allow the art to be seen not highly trafficked this part of the day; close enough to major roads to be found but not so close he’ll be interrupted while he works. He parks his car in the nearest parking garage and heads back, first setting up his paints and his, as Ten likes to call it, “baby speaker” which he tucks into his sweatshirt pocket before he gets painting. 

This is one of his favorite things: just letting the colors take over, occasionally glancing back at his sketch to check proportions or layers, using the music to guide his tempo. He keeps half an eye on the alley entrance, looking out for anything suspicious, like cops or gangs, but he’s gotten very good at picking alleys. He has been doing this for years now, so he knows the good areas in town that aren’t heavily trafficked by either gangs or cops. 

The piece takes shape quicker than he expected, his signature gradients and crisp edges, notoriously difficult to manage with spray paint, coming clean in as few coats as he can manage. Just as he’s finishing his signature, he spots a cop car roll by the alley, slowing then stopping. 

Within a couple seconds, Yukhei has his mask up over his nose, cap pulled low and sunglasses on. He drops his spray can into his bag, picks it up, and jogs neatly down the alley. He knows the police are always lenient about art, so after a couple turns he ducks into Jaehyun’s bar and café, knowing he’s safe there. 

“Xuxi! It’s been a while. You hanging in there okay?” Jaehyun has always been a welcoming presence, and his off-the-beaten-path residence makes him a common meetup point for anyone whose identity isn’t publicly known. He has standards of course, so his café isn’t used for drug deals or anything shady, but Yukhei first met Ten here and everyone’s always friendly and accomodating. It’s also nice that no one minds if he doesn’t take his mask off except to eat. 

“Yeah, I’m doing alright, all things considered. How’s business? Sorry I haven’t had a chance to stop by.” Yukhei looks over the menu, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. Jaehyun knows what he wants before he even opens the wallet -- he gets the same thing every time -- and already has it punched into the register when he hands his card over. 

“It’s been running smoothly. Thanks to a couple of your recommendations, we’ve had some more artists stop by, and a few have even offered to paint the blank spaces on the walls!” 

“Wow, that sounds great! Are you taking any of them up on the offer?” Yukhei slides along the counter, keeping even with Jaehyun as he bustles around to make the coffee. 

“Actually, I was hoping you’d stop by so I could talk about that. Would you be interested in having a go at this part?” Jaehyun gestures to a large blank spot opposite the entrance. 

“I’d be honored.” 

 

Seeing Xuxi is the most exciting thing that happens for their entire shift, but that’s not uncommon. Being a police officer isn’t as exciting as the elementary school kids seemed to think it was. Soon enough, it’s time to head back to the station. Mark and Renjun split without fanfare, the same as they do every day. 

Renjun heads home to his boyfriend Chenle and his boyfriend’s boyfriend Jisung. Mark knows they all room together, and Chenle basically switches off whose room he sleeps in. Mark figures if it works for them, who is he to judge? 

Mark, craving a bit of a pick-me-up, heads to a coffee shop to get some caffeine and clear his head. He finds one Renjun recommended a while ago, called Jaehyun’s. He’s just not ready to head home to an empty apartment yet. Before he heads in, he grabs a mask from his pocket and pulls it on. It’s a pretty universal sign for “I don’t want to be bothered” and that’s just what he needs right now. 

With no line, Mark heads straight to the counter and orders his usual stupidly sugary drink. Most people would say they only order something like that when no one they know is around to witness it but Mark doesn’t care anymore. Renjun, who he goes out for coffee with most frequently, knows how he feels about the taste of coffee and Renjun’s good about not judging him for things. Well, he definitely judges, but not about things like coffee. It’s more about Mark’s lack of emotional vulnerability but that’s not an issue for today. Also, when you’re in a complicated poly relationship with two people with very strange personalities -- not that Mark has any room to judge on that -- you tend not to judge things as readily. 

The barista, Jaehyun, according to his name tag, takes Mark’s order with a gentle greeting and a warm smile. He’s cute, but not Mark’s type. Besides, he’s basically a taken man. Even though he and Yukhei haven’t formally discussed it, Mark knows where he stands. 

Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear: after Mark orders and is waiting for his drink, he spots Yukhei sitting alone at a booth, nursing a coffee and scrolling through something on his phone. 

“Hey,” he says as he walks over, making Yukhei startle. 

“Hi! Um … I don’t mean to sound rude, but uh what are you doing here?” 

“It’s ok! My partner Renjun recommended this place and my shift just finished so I figured I’d check it out. We just did a patrol in this area.” Yukhei stands to give him a quick hug, then they both sit again. Somewhere in the depths of Mark’s Officer Brain, he notes that Yukhei and Xuxi have similar builds, but he forcibly turns that part of his brain off for now. 

“Nice! I love this place. I’ve been coming here for basically forever.” At that moment, Mark’s drink is called and he goes to grab it, quickly returning to sit across from Yukhei. 

“Ooh, good choice.” Mark can’t really tell if Yukhei’s being sarcastic, but he just grins so Mark decides to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

“Thanks,” he replies dryly. “We’ve got the four main food groups right here: coffee, whipped cream, caramel, and more coffee.” Yukhei laughs and Mark’s heart swoops. 

 

After a few more minutes, Mark asks Yukhei if he’d like to go for a walk. Yukhei agrees of course, and it takes one look to Jaehyun to tell him he’s leaving his paint bag under the table and will be back for it later. When he said he’d been coming here forever, he wasn’t kidding. 

They wander through the city, and Yukhei lets Mark lead. After a while of mindless chatter and twisting paths, they find themselves at an apartment complex. Yukhei gives Mark a confused look. Mark seems equally confused, then realizes where they are. 

“Oh, this is my apartment building.” 

“Ah,” Yukhei says. That makes a lot of sense. “Do you need to head in?” Mark pauses, considering. After a moment, he speaks again. 

“Probably. It was really nice seeing you though!” Yukhei laughs gently at how desperate he sounds, but reassures him quickly anyway. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got some stuff to get done today as well.” Yukhei accompanies Mark to the outer door of the stairwell, joining him just inside when he swipes open the door. He opens his arms, having decided he likes Mark hugging him. They hug for probably a bit too long, but they’re the only ones here so Yukhei can’t bring himself to care. 

Yukhei can feel Ten sending him Confident Gay energy from wherever he is, and decides  _ fuck it _ . He cups Mark’s cheek in his hand, tilting his head up from where Mark had pressed it against his shoulder. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asks, Sicheng’s constant reminders of  _ every kiss begins with consent _ echoing in his head. Mark blinks a couple times, looking a little startled. 

“Yeah,” he squeaks, and immediately flushes. Yukhei grins. 

“You’re cute, you know that?” This absolutely does not help Mark’s blush, but that was never Yukhei’s intent. Instead, he guides Mark to face him at a better angle, then leans down and presses their lips together. 

Luckily, since they both finished their drinks and disposed of the cups on the way, they’ve each got two free hands. Both of them quickly take advantage of this fact. Yukhei’s hand stays on Mark’s cheek, guiding the kiss, but his other arm wraps around his waist and tugs him close. Marks hands slide from his shoulders to around his neck and back, seemingly unable to keep still. 

Eventually, Yukhei’s lungs remember that oxygen is kind of important, and he’s forced to pull back. Mark pouts, honest to goodness  _ pouts _ at him, and it’s probably the cutest thing he’s ever seen. He obliges him with another kiss as soon as his lungs stop screaming and Mark melts. How is Yukhei supposed to survive this? Mark should come with a warning sign, honestly. 

Unfortunately, they soon hear footsteps from above, breaking them out of their reverie. 

“I should probably get going,” Yukhei says, reluctantly pulling away. 

“I guess … see you soon?” Mark asks hopefully, and who is Yukhei to deny him? 

“Of course, baby!” 

Yukhei spends about half an hour panicking when he gets home, but at least he got a kiss. 


	5. Time 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's late but it's worth it I promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so ya gal is an idiot and forgot to post yesterday because we had a band concert and tbh I should've remembered that Thursdays in May are always kinda rough but on the bright side, I'm basically done with school now so I shouldn't have any more issues :D anyway, I hope you all enjoy the penultimate chapter!

Normally, Yukhei likes to consider himself a confident gay. This is not one of those times. He’s going to see Mark in a suit tonight and he is not emotionally prepared for this. After talking on the phone for almost an hour last night, they decided to go out to an italian restaurant tonight. It’s one Mark suggested, as he’s much more familiar with italian food than Yukhei is, and after they hung up he looked it up and it’s fancy enough to warrant a suit. 

Still kind of panicking, Yukhei decides he needs help, on both the clothing side and the  _ I’m going to see my crush in a suit tonight _ side. He texts Kun and Sicheng, and on a whim throws a text to Ten as well. He’s gotten to know Ten outside of art recently, and they’ve bonded over being gay. It’s a good time. Luckily, Kun and Sicheng both know about his double life as Xuxi (though neither of them know about Lucas), so he doesn’t have to worry about Ten accidentally breaking anything to them. Pretty soon, all three of them arrive and very quickly take over his home. 

“Xuxi, I know you look good in literally everything, but why don’t you have any suits that don’t look like they’re for board meetings?” Ten sounds rather exasperated. 

“It’s because the only times I need suits are for meetings.” 

“Well that’s boring.” 

“Well you’re boring.” Sicheng looks over, annoyed. 

“You’re both boring, now get back over here and try things on.” 

Kun, who’s currently in Yukhei’s bathroom rooting through his makeup, calls dibs on him as soon as Sicheng and Ten finalize a small pile of clothes. He successfully shoos the other two out of the room and tells them to “go eat or something” while he deals with Yukhei’s face. 

As the master of multitasking that he is, Kun sagely gives Yukhei a variety of advice while lining his eyes and dusting shimmer onto his cheekbones. It’s mostly about how to function around pretty boys and knowing Kun’s husband, Yukhei trusts Kun’s judgement on this. Most of this is advice Kun gives him every time he starts dating someone, but it’s a good review and to be fair, Yukhei hasn’t dated in a while. It’s hard enough balancing three lives without throwing a relationship into the mix. 

Finally, Kun spins him around, patting him on the shoulder. 

“You’re ready.” Yukhei blinks at his reflection: eyes lined with a soft brown, eyelashes darkened, and cheekbones glimmering. It’s simple and subtle but really effective. 

“Wow, I look good.” 

“Yeah, well, I started with a good canvas.” Yukhei grins, accepting the compliment for what it is. Kun gives them out infrequently enough he has to take them when he can.

The outfit Ten and Sicheng picked is a navy blue suit, a peachy-pink shirt with a tiny gingham pattern, a floral tie, and brown oxfords. It’s one of those combinations that Yukhei never would have guessed to pick himself, but it works really well. Now feeling much more confident, he straightens his tie, grabs his fancy watch, and heads downstairs. 

 

Mark’s panicking over outfits again. Honestly, you’d think he got this out of his system last time, but apparently not. Thankfully, this time he has several friends he can drag over to his house to help him. 

Jaemin, Jeno, and Donghyuck all arrive within twenty minutes, each showing varying degrees of amusement and concern at Mark’s panic. While Jaemin and Donghyuck raid his closet, Jeno sits Mark down and works his therapist-esque magic. Basically, that means he gives him advice on how to exist around his crush without dying of a heart attack. If Mark’s going to trust anyone’s advice on that subject, it’ll be Jeno. He’s pretty sure at least 90% of people who have met Jaemin have fallen in love with him at least a little. 

Soon enough, Jaemin and Donghyuck have Mark standing while they hold up different combinations of shirts, jackets, and ties. They’re pulling out things Mark hasn’t worn since college, things he didn’t even remember he had. 

“Jackpot!” announces Donghyuck, and Jaemin makes a noise of surprise, then one of agreement. 

“How did we miss that before?” It’s a deep maroon suit that Mark thinks he wore for some important event his dad dragged him to several years ago, and he doesn’t have any idea if he still fits in it. When he voices this concern, however, Jaemin shoves the suit, along with a navy shirt and a cream tie, into his hands. 

“You’ll never know if you don’t try it on!” With that and a slap on the ass, Mark’s sent to the bathroom to change. He doesn’t look in the mirror at all until he has everything on, afraid he’ll jinx it. Finally checking his reflection, Mark will admit he looks pretty good. He’s surprised he still fits into this suit, but now that it’s on he remembers it was a little loose when he wore it last. 

Stepping out of the bathroom to various -- and enthusiastic -- sounds of approval is pretty good for his self-confidence, too. After they’ve finished ooh-ing and ahh-ing over Mark, they migrate downstairs to chat and for Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Jeno to raid Mark’s kitchen before he leaves. Conversation is easy and flows between topics. 

“Hyuck, when are  _ you _ going to get a boyfriend?” It’s a common topic, so no one’s surprised when Jaemin brings up Donghyuck’s love life. 

“Wait,” Jeno interrupts. “Didn’t you have a date with that chemical engineer last week? You never did tell us how that went.” Now that Jeno mentions it, Mark remembers that. 

“Yeah … the dinner was fine but then he asked me to come back to his house and I was like ‘disclaimer I’m ace’ and he was like ‘I’ll cure you’ and I noped the hell out of there.” There’s a collective wince from everyone else in the room. They’ve seen this come up way too often in Hyuck’s search for a boyfriend. 

“I’ll fight him for you,” offers Mark. 

“That won’t be necessary. I already lectured him half to death. Besides, you have your own date to get to.” With that, the trio kicks Mark out of his own apartment, but he doesn’t mind. 

 

Yukhei pulls into the restaurant parking lot to find Mark waiting just outside the door, as they’d agreed. His first thought is  _ holy shit _ and his second is  _ that shouldn’t be allowed _ . Needless to say, Mark looks good. Really good. If Yukhei hadn’t been done up by his friends he’d be feeling really underdressed but the subtle feeling of the light makeup Kun put on him gives him that little boost of confidence he needs to get out of his car and greet Mark. 

They get settled at a table quickly, given menus and a moment to chat before their server arrives. Yukhei notices the menu is in both Korean and English. Well, a lot of the food names are in Italian, but everything else has English. When their server, Johnny, arrives, Yukhei thinks this might be a nice opportunity to show off his language skills a bit. He is a translator, after all. 

“Good evening!” Johnny greets in English, then switches to Korean. “What can I get for you, gentlemen?” Mark gestures to Yukhei to order first. 

“I’d like the Shrimp Fra Diavolo and a glass of the house red wine,” Yukhei says in English. Mark blinks at him for a couple seconds as Johnny responds. 

“Alright, sounds good. And for you, sir?” Thankfully, Mark has recovered. What Yukhei didn’t expect though, was this. 

“I’d love the Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken, and I’ll also have a glass of the house red wine, but could we also get a small Apple Gorgonzola salad to start?” It’s English. Perfect English. Mark doesn’t even have an accent. What?

“Of course! I’ll be right back with drinks and some bread.” Johnny leaves Mark stifling laughter and Yukhei slack jawed. 

“Wow,” he says, finally managing to shut his mouth. “Are you fluent?” Mark grins. 

“I lived in Canada for, like, twelve years growing up. I’m pretty much fluent. You speak really well, though! What I’m wondering is how did this never come up?” 

“Yeah, you’d think with the amount of time we’ve spent just walking around and talking, something like this would’ve been mentioned.” They share a look, then both burst out laughing. 

“So, then, what languages  _ do _ you speak, Mr. Translator?” Mark shoots Yukhei a sly grin. 

“Korean, Mandarin, Thai, English, Spanish, and I’m working on Japanese,” Yukhei offers. Mark looks impressed, which Yukhei will admit is gratifying to his slightly bruised ego. 

“Wow, I can barely manage two languages, let alone  _ five _ . Props to you.” Yukhei blinks. 

“Props?” 

“Oh,” Mark says. “It’s like, congrats kinda? Or good job? Like props to you, that’s not something I could manage, kind of thing. I don’t think there’s an equivalent idiom in Korean.” 

“Ah, that makes sense.” At this point, Johnny returns with a bread basket and two glasses of wine. It’s pretty clear he’s entertained by the whole situation, but Yukhei doesn’t mind. The bread’s good enough to make up for any residual embarrassment. 

Yukhei relaxes, sipping his wine between bites of bread and words shared with Mark. The atmosphere here is quite relaxing; he understands why Mark suggested it. Now, all that’s left is to see if the food lives up to his expectations, but somehow he figures it will. 

 

Mark had kind of forgotten how much he loves this restaurant, but it reminds him of home, in a way. He’s found most of the servers speak English at least conversationally, and the whole atmosphere is really calm and chill. 

Today, rather than the soft classical music most upscale places play, it seems the owners let their kids pick the music. A musical variety more recent than the 1800s is a refreshing change. 

Mark and Yukhei flirt and talk, order, flirt and talk, eat, flirt and talk, and discuss fruit or dessert. They now bop easily between both English and Korean. Yukhei occasionally throws bonus words Mark doesn’t understand into the mix, but he corrects them quickly. As a lull in the conversation settles in, a Lucas song comes on overhead. Mark pauses and Yukhei follows suit, both recognizing the opening bars of the song. Mark can’t resist rapping along quietly, almost under his breath. He gestures to Yukhei, inviting him to join, but Yukhei waves him off. As the song progresses, Yukhei watches Mark, eyes wide. Mark can’t help getting kind of into the song, but he luckily avoids knocking anything over. 

“Wow,” Yukhei says when the song’s finished. “When you said you rapped, I didn’t know you meant you  _ rapped _ .” Mark can feel his cheeks heating up. 

“I’m sure anyone could do that,” he says, feeling oddly bashful. 

“I  _ so  _ need to introduce you to Doyoung.” 

“Who’s Doyoung?” Yukhei startles a bit when Mark asks that, but recovers quickly. 

“He’s a coworker of mine who’s involved in the music industry. He’d absolutely love you, honestly. He’s great with rappers.” Now that Mark thinks about it, the name Doyoung is weirdly familiar, but he can’t place why he feels like he should know it. 

That’s the most interesting conversation that happens for a while as the two of them finish their meals. Eventually, Johnny returns to collect their plates and ask about dessert. 

“You want anything?” Yukhei asks Mark, who shrugs. 

“I could go for something sweet.” He then turns to Johnny. “What do you suggest?” 

“Ooh, I’d eat everything on our dessert menu, but honestly I think the tiramisu is the best,” he supplies, grinning brightly. 

“Amazing.” Mark turns back to Yukhei. “Wanna share one?” 

“Sure! We’ll take one piece of tiramisu.” Johnny writes it down and whisks their dirty dishes off, promising to return soon with the dessert. He returns surprisingly quickly, placing the plate with two forks in the middle of the table. 

It was a great recommendation: the tiramisu is  _ fantastic _ . Mark thinks he could’ve eaten a whole piece himself, but it’s more romantic to share. 

When Johnny brings the check, Yukhei insists on paying. Mark puts up a token protest, but it feels nice. He does, however, insist on paying “next time.” Maybe he can be a confident gay sometimes after all. 

Yukhei kisses him on the cheek before they leave and Mark takes back his earlier comment. He’s a panicked gay. He’s definitely a panicked gay. 


	6. Time +1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and thank you all for sticking through this!! Here's the last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! Happy Thursday!! (wow I'm on time for once :D )
> 
> also I have no idea what police officers actually do on a daily basis so just suspend your disbelief for like 700 words thanks bye

Mark hates early patrols. More than that, though, he hates doing patrols alone. Renjun called in sick today -- though what’s more likely is his boyfriend’s sick and he’s home taking care of him, given Renjun’s track record with his basically undefeatable immune system. Mark can’t really get mad since he’s met Renjun’s boyfriend and Chenle is the sweetest person ever, but he’s still kind of annoyed. 

He spends a while meandering around, just cruising and listening to his favorite playlist. He may or may not be hoping for a certain foreign ambassador and possible boyfriend to text him. He may or may not squeak embarrassingly loudly when the aforementioned possible boyfriend does, in fact, text him. It’s a really cute “good morning!!” with way more emoticons than necessary, but it’s endearing rather than annoying. 

The two of them chat over text for a while, talking about nothing of importance, but at least it staves off Mark’s boredom for a while. Unfortunately, Yukhei has to return to meetings all too soon so Mark returns to paying more than 16% attention to his patrol. 

The most interesting thing that happens that morning is when he busts a couple kids for skipping school. He escorts them to their school and, in front of the awkward students, explains to the office secretary where he found them. After a quick lunch of rice and beans, he continues his cruise. Fairly soon after lunch, he spots something down an alley and pops out to investigate. When he’s on solo patrol he isn’t technically supposed to leave the car, but it’s muscle memory and hey, he’s already outside so he might as well just keep going. 

He sees a figure dressed in black, the distinct shapes of spray cans in a bag by his feet. As he quietly approaches he hears the unique sound of Lucas’s voice. At first, he thinks it must be coming from a stereo but he doesn’t see one on the ground anywhere. Soon enough, that small mystery is solved as he notices the painting guy is also rapping under the mask he has on. 

Wait a second. 

There’s no way. 

That’s … is that Xuxi? 

Mark takes in the art style and yeah, that’s definitely Xuxi. Also, the figure matches what he remembers from when he saw Xuxi down that alley with Renjun the other week. The rap coming out of the guy’s mouth is undeniably Lucas. Does that mean Xuxi and Lucas are the same person? Mark considers that for a long moment before deciding he can just ask the guy. He is just ten feet away from him at this point. It’s a small miracle he hasn’t been noticed yet, but Xuxi (or Lucas or whatever his name is -- Mark doesn’t want to think too hard about it) is pretty into his rap. 

“Hey!” calls Mark, clearly startling the guy with how close he’s managed to get. Xuxi looks at him, a classic  _ deer in the headlights _ but … no way. 

Mark would know those eyes anywhere. 

It’s fucking Yukhei. What the fuck. 

 

Yukhei panics, okay? 

Why, of the literal  _ billions _ of people on this earth, did it have to be Mark who ran across him not only painting a distinctly Xuxi work but also rapping? Yukhei has about half a second to question which deity he might have pissed off before he turns tail and sprints. 

About three steps in, Yukhei registers that he forgot to grab his paint bag. Well, it’s a bit late for that. He’ll just have to come back for it later. Although he was on the track team in high school, Yukhei can’t say he does much running nowadays. Unfortunately, Mark probably does. It takes Mark less than 25 seconds to catch up to Yukhei and pin him to the wall -- and not in a spicy way, in a cop way where his arm is twisted behind his back and the side of his face is pressed to the wall. It’s not particularly comfortable, but he’s not in a position to complain. This is what he gets for forgetting that Mark’s a police officer and probably keeps up with his training. 

_ “I do better than Renjun, anyway,”  _ is what Mark will say when Yukhei asks him about it later. Yukhei will laugh, but right now he’s about as far from laughing as he can get.

Right now, Yukhei is absolutely taken aback and mildly terrified. He doesn’t think Mark will take him in for anything, but he’s scared of Mark’s response to the secret he’s been keeping. 

“So,” Mark begins, loosening his grip just enough that Yukhei can twist his shoulders to see him better. “Care to explain?” 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Yukhei hates how shaky and quiet his voice is, but talking gets easier as he goes. “I’m Xuxi and Lucas, but I am also Yukhei. I never lied to you about what I do or anything, promise. I just … didn’t tell you everything.” 

“Can you tell me everything now?” 

“I-- yeah, if you want to hear it all. It’d be a bit more comfortable if you, y’know, let go of me first.” Mark startles a little, as though he’d forgotten he was holding Yukhei in such an awkward position. 

“Oh, right.” Yukhei feels Mark’s hands release him, and he takes a moment to stretch out a little. “Although … I’m technically on duty right now and this definitely doesn’t count as witness interrogation, so …” he trails off, clearly unsure what to propose next. 

“We can meet up later? I’m not doing anything for the rest of the day, so just let me know when you get off and I can meet you somewhere.” Honestly, any chance to explain himself is more than Yukhei’s  _ Worst Case Scenario _ brain thought he would get, so he’ll take it. 

“Yeah, that sounds good. You okay meeting at my apartment? I’d feel the most comfortable there.” It makes sense Mark would want home territory when discussing something like this, so Yukhei has no problem agreeing readily. 

“Sure! What time does your shift finish?” 

“Three, so I’ll be home around three-thirty to four.” 

“I’ll see you then.” Mark nods a little stiffly before turning and heading back to his cruiser, climbing in, and driving away. Yukhei collapses against the brick wall as soon as he’s out of sight. 

 

Mark is, quite understandably, incredibly distracted for the rest of his shift. He’s very glad his patrol’s almost done so he can head back to the station to get some paperwork done. Usually he hates paperwork, but patrol just isn’t distracting enough right now. 

He’s mostly feeling surprised. Also a bit starry-eyed. And, when he thinks about it, a little “this idiot? really?” It’s mostly surprise though. He does take a moment to consider what deity he managed to get on the good side of for this to happen. Holy cow. 

Mark shakes himself back into reality and tries to focus on his paperwork. Unfortunately, he just can’t keep his focus there. It just keeps drifting back to Yukhei, who is apparently also Lucas  _ and _ Xuxi. Wow. How does the guy have time for sleep, let alone a relationship? 

Checking the clock for what feels like the tenth time in as many minutes, Mark realizes it’s close enough to three for him to clock out. He’s usually here overtime anyway, so they won’t mind him heading out a couple minutes early for once. 

Just as he finishes packing up, though, who else should stop by but Taeyong and Taeil. They do have a propensity for showing up at the least convenient times, but hey, if Mark’s still here he’s still getting paid and talking to his bosses will probably be more productive than anything else he’s done today. 

“Mark! Glad we could catch you. What time does your shift end?” Taeyong starts, smiling at Mark in a way that makes him simultaneously relieved and very suspicious. 

“Technically, three, but I’m out a little early today.” Taeyong and Taeil share a look. 

“We noticed.” As usual, Taeil is a man of few words. Taeyong continues for him. 

“Any particular reason you’re out so soon? You’re not in trouble, we’re just curious. You’re usually here for at least a half hour after your shift ends.” Mark shrugs. He’s got nothing to hide. 

“Mostly I’m just less productive and less focused without Renjun around to keep me on track. You know how he is. Besides,” Mark pauses, then figures  _ what the hell _ . “I’ve got a date tonight.” Well, if he was looking for a distraction, this certainly works. 

“Ooh, a date! Does our dear Mark finally have a significant other?” Taeyong gives him a look. Mark gags a little. 

“First, don’t call me ‘dear.’ It’s weird. Second, yeah, kinda? I think we’re boyfriends but that’ll kinda depend on how tonight goes.” He decides to play more of the  _ we’re just starting _ situation rather than the  _ we already put labels on it but I don’t know if we’ll still be dating after tonight _ situation. It seemed safer. 

Luckily, soon into Taeyong and Taeil’s (but mostly Taeyong’s) interrogation of his love life, the two of them are called off into some other corner of the building to deal with someone else’s crisis. Mark finally escapes out to his car and takes a moment to just sit there, his head resting against the steering wheel, and take some deep breaths. Once he feels he’s truly emotionally prepared for what’s coming next, he puts the keys in the ignition and starts the drive home. 

 

Yukhei lets himself into Mark’s apartment using the spare key. He got here before Mark did, but he also arrived promptly at three and he knows Mark rarely clocks out of the station when he’s supposed to. 

After about half an hour, the time it takes Yukhei to complete two scribbled graffiti ideas and half a verse of the new rap he’s working on, he finally hears a key turn and Mark opens the door. He doesn’t look particularly surprised to see Yukhei here, but that’s probably because his car’s parked in the lot. Mark’s observant, and knows what Yukhei’s car looks like. 

“Alright,” Mark says, setting down his work stuff. “I’m going to throw on some sweats, then we can discuss everything. I’ll be back in five.” Then he heads to his bedroom. 

True to form, he is back in five minutes. Yukhei takes that time to finish emotionally preparing himself for this. He doesn’t really know what that means, but after some deep breaths and flipping his sketchbook to the page of notes he wrote, he feels a lot less like he’ll have a panic attack. Mark settles himself on the couch next to Yukhei and for whatever reason that feels a lot more casual than Mark sitting across from him in the armchair. 

“So, why didn’t you tell me?” Mark sounds more nervous than Yukhei expected. 

“No one knows everything. Well, except for you now, I guess. Obviously Doyoung and Chenle know I’m Yukhei and Lucas, and Ten and Kun and Sicheng know I’m Yukhei and Xuxi, but it just seemed easier to only tell people about one or the other.” 

“Okay, I’ll let you continue in a second, but did you say Chenle? Does he have a boyfriend named Renjun?” Yukhei is quite taken aback at that, but doesn’t mind the distraction. 

“Yeah, and a boyfriend named Jisung. But Jisung and Renjun aren’t dating. Don’t ask me how it works; I don’t think I really want to know. They’re happy, so I don’t need to know.” 

“Renjun’s my partner at the station,” Mark says, grinning widely. “You can keep going.”

“Alright,” Yukhei continues, feeling much more relaxed. “There’s also the fact that you’re a cop and there’s probably some tax stuff I’m doing wrong, and I know graffiti isn’t technically illegal but some cops don’t approve of it and … it was kinda nice to be normal. ” 

“Yukhei, I don’t care whether you do your taxes right. I just want you to trust me. I was worried you hadn’t told me because I’d done something wrong and I know it’s irrational but that’s how my brain works.” Yukhei’s quick to reassure him. 

“I do! I do trust you. I’m-- that’s why I told you I haven’t told anyone else. Now that I mention it though, Jiwoo did somehow figure it all out but that’s another ‘I probably just don’t want to know’ situation.” He pauses, considering his next words. “Especially once I learned how much you idolize Lucas, I didn’t-- it sounds dumb but I want you to date me for me. I hope this doesn’t change your opinion of me too much.” 

“Of course not!” Mark exclaims. “If you’re asking if I still want to date you, the answer is absolutely yes.” Yukhei sighs in relief. 

“That’s amazing. Can … can I kiss you?” 

If they get up to anything beyond kissing that night, well, that’s up to them. 


End file.
